


flowers in the concrete

by parisinjune



Category: High School Musical (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Co-workers, F/M, Fluff, Romance, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-14 04:54:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29412984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/parisinjune/pseuds/parisinjune
Summary: When Gabriella Montez walks intoLucille’s Flowers, she doesn’t expect to become so attached to the quaint little flower shop, much less for something beautiful to blossom between her and the owner’s son.
Relationships: Troy Bolton/Gabriella Montez
Comments: 5
Kudos: 9





	flowers in the concrete

**Author's Note:**

> I started writing this last year for Valentine’s Day, but never got around to finishing and posting it, so now it’s for this year. Happy Valentine’s Day!
> 
> Full disclosure - this is barely edited and also, I know very little about flowers, so I bluffed my way through some of this. Hope it’s still readable though.
> 
> Also, this is lowkey an ode to Lucille Bolton, just so you all know.
> 
> Enjoy!

Gabriella and Maria Montez have a tradition. It’s one they use to cope with the hardships of constantly moving and never being able to put their anchors down anywhere, and one they use to honour their late father and husband.

Whenever they move to a new place, something which happens far too often for their liking, one of the first things they do is to get an orchid, Carlos Montez’s favourite. That one plant immediately makes the new house feel like home, despite both mother and daughter knowing that it won’t be for very long.

This time will be different, though, Maria has tried to convince Gabriella. She has been promised by the company that she won’t be transferred until Gabriella graduates a year and a half from now. Gabriella doesn’t believe a word of it. It’s not the first time her mother’s company has made promises that they couldn’t keep and it’s not the first time that Gabriella has tried to make herself a home only for the rug to pulled out from under her feet.

She doesn’t blame her mother, though. Maria tries her best with the cards she’s been dealt and Gabriella feels just as bad for her as she does for herself. It can’t be easy to lose your husband and then have to move across the country constantly, while having difficulty in trying to give your daughter the childhood deserves.

Hence, when Gabriella comes home from her rather uneventful first day at East High in Albuquerque and realizes that in the hassle of moving around New Year’s, they haven’t been able to buy an orchid yet, she sets out on a mission to do so. For herself and for her mother.

Taking her bike, she quickly finds herself in the city centre, standing in front of a quaint flower shop. _Lucille’s Flowers_ , the sign reads. The cursive letters on the sign and the many colourful plants stalled outside immediately give Gabriella a sense of comfort and cosiness, and deciding she likes the place well enough – and she’s also not sure how many flower shops are around anyway –, Gabriella steps inside.

She expects to find some old lady at the counter, someone who’s seen a little life and who treats every customer as if they’re family, but instead, she finds a boy.

A very cute boy.

It’s not his lean physique or his brown, floppy hair that she notices first. It’s not his deep ocean blue eyes either. What she will always remember about this first meeting is his smile. It’s lop-sided and friendly and welcoming, and it immediately makes a blush rise to her cheeks.

He blinks as if astonished as their eyes meet and she can feel his eyes curiously follows her every move as she looks around the store to see if she can find any orchids. She can’t, but she probably chalks it up to being too distracted by the boy’s gaze on her.

“Can I help you?”

Gabriella closes her eyes for a second as his friendly words enter her ears. His voice is warm and soothing, just like his smile, and it makes her heart flutter a little.

Turning around to face him, she smiles awkwardly as she slowly steps over to the counter. Pushing a curl behind her ear, she asks, “Do you have any orchids?”

His smile widens and he nods eagerly, motioning for him to follow her to the back of the store, where there are indeed orchids on display.

“Any particular colour?” he asks, looking back at her, the kind smile still on his face, and she merely shakes her head.

“Anything is fine.”

With a nod, he pulls up a white orchid and they both make their way back to the counter, where he tells her he’ll wrap it for her before turning, his back now to her.

“I’ve never seen you around before,” he states. “Do you go to West High?”

“No, I’m a transfer student at East High,” she says with a shake of her head, and the boy looks up with curious surprise.

“When did you start?”

Gabriella smiles meekly. “Today.”

The boy’s eyes crinkle a bit as his smile widens and he shakes his head as he turns back to his work. “Well, that explains why I didn’t recognize you. Did you enjoy your first day?”

He’s stalling, it seems, wanting to keep the conversation going, but she can’t seem to figure out why. Why would anyone like him be interested in her life?

Yet she would be lying if she said she doesn’t like his attention and seeing his smile aimed at her, so she decides to humour him. “It was fine. You go to East High, too, then?”

He returns to the counter with a perfectly wrapped orchid and for a second, he narrows his eyes at her thoughtfully, the smile wavering for a second. Then, his lip curl back upwards and he nods. “Yeah, I do. That’ll be 10 dollars.”

After paying, she picks up the plant and feeling confident, she grins at him.

“Thanks,” she tells him, and finally remembering to read his name tag, she grins and courageously adds, “I guess I’ll see you around, Troy.”

His responding grin could not be bigger.

“See you!” he calls after her as she leaves the store, and after one last smile and a final wave, she’s back out in the cold air, an orchid in her hand and a swarm of butterflies in her stomach.

\--

It’s not until she’s home that she finds that there’s a card attached to the orchid. At first, it confuses her, because she definitely did not ask Troy for one, but when she reads it, she immediately feels her cheeks heat up.

_Welcome to Albuquerque and East High, new girl._

It’s a simple gesture, but it means the world to her. It means someone has taken the time to notice her, to be kind to her. And as much as she prefers to sink into the crowds and breeze through these schools without getting attached to anyone, she can’t deny that she enjoys his acknowledgement of her.

Maybe Albuquerque will be different than all those other places she’s been.

Maybe she’ll actually be able to make a friend, to make this place a little bit like home.

\--

The next morning, Gabriella is excited to get to school. It does frighten and worry her a little, how much she wants to see the boy with the kind smile again, how much she’s already attached to the idea of becoming his friend despite knowing it won’t last, but she’s putting it to the back of her mind for now. The idea of not feeling alone is one that’s a lot stronger than all of her looming concerns.

It seems he’s not difficult to find. Right after homeroom, a soft hand lands on her shoulder and a familiar, friendly voice exclaims, “Hey, new girl!”

She turns around and immediately breaks into a small smile, her stomach flipping nervously as she’s subjected to that smile again. Tucking a stray curl behind her hair, she says, “Hi.”

“It seems like we’re in the same homeroom!” he exclaims, his eyes crinkling with joy. “I still can’t believe I didn’t notice you yesterday.”

“I’m not a very noticeable person,” Gabriella says with a shrug, and Troy narrows his eyes at her for a second, before shaking his head firmly.

“No, you definitely are,” he states confidently. Then, a hand flies up to his neck and his grin turns into something more bashful as he continues, “You know, I just realized I didn’t get your name yesterday.”

Before she can say anything, however, his smile falls as his name is called from a distance. Both of them turning to where the voice came from, Gabriella sees three boys staring at them expectantly, one of them inexplicably carrying a basketball instead of a bag or any school supplies.

Gabriella figures they’re his friends, watching as he waves at them, before turning to Gabriella with a sorrowful frown. “Sorry, I have to go.”

They stare at each other for a moment, and then his smile returns, still bashful, as he softly utters, “It was really nice to see you again.”

She bites her lip, before whispering, “Likewise.”

His mouth curls up a little further, and he nods at her, before turning away from her and starting to walk off to meet his friends.

Watching him go, she suddenly musters courage and calls after him, “It’s Gabriella.”

He turns around and shoots her a curious look, and she smiles. “My name is Gabriella. And thank you for the card.”

“You’re welcome… Gabriella.”

His smile before he turns away is bright and joyful, and Gabriella continues to stare at him as he walks away. In the distance, she sees his friend with the basketball wildly gesticulating, but she’s still too preoccupied with the butterflies in her stomach to attempt to catch anything he’s saying.

She’s quickly pulled out of her trance, however, by another voice entering her ears.

“So, how do you know Troy Bolton?”

Gabriella blinks and looks to the side to find a blonde girl standing beside her, dressed entirely in pink. She’s staring off at where Troy has now disappeared into the crowd, narrowing her eyes thoughtfully, maybe even suspiciously.

“I don’t,” Gabriella answers truthfully, and the girl’s gaze falls on her, immediately making Gabriella squirm a little. The girl’s light brown eyes reveal a harshness, something menacing, and Gabriella immediately knows that she’s bad news. She’s the kind of person who would make her life a living for being the new kid, the kind of person that Gabriella always desperately wants to avoid.

“Troy doesn’t interact with new students,” the girl says curtly, her lips pursed into a grimace, as she lets her gaze wander over Gabriella’s frame slowly, letting out a sound of disapproval as she does so.

“Why wouldn’t he? He seems nice,” Gabriella says, biting her lip as the girl’s eyes come back up to her face.

“Oh, he is,” the girl agrees, crossing her arms over her chest. “It’s just that he’s _Troy Bolton_.”

Gabriella frowns in confusion and curiosity – what does that mean? –, and the girl rolls her eyes. “Troy is the captain of the basketball team. He’s the most popular guy in school, the primo boy, if you will. And therefore, he only hangs out with a particular crowd. And you’re not the type of person to belong to his clique.”

Gabriella’s frown deepens at that, but before she can say anything to refute the girl’s claims or inquire any further, she suddenly waves to someone in the crowd.

“Toodles,” she says, faking a smile and waving. Then she stalks off, her heels clicking in the floor.

Waving hesitantly after her, Gabriella is left again to her own devices, suddenly feeling disillusioned and lonely again.

As sweet as he seemed in his interactions with her, and as much as his smile could probably light up the entire school, she’s glad that this girl told her about his reputation.

She’s not going to set herself up to be the fool. She’s not going to try to become friends with someone who probably won’t return her efforts due to something as shallow as high school hierarchy. It’s not worth it.

She’ll forget about his smile and go on with her life, disappear into the crowd again like she always does.

\--

Her efforts to forget about Troy Bolton appear to be futile. He’s suddenly everywhere she goes. He’s in almost every class she’s in – except for some of her AP classes – and she passes him in the corridors several times during the day.

They never strike up a conversation again, but every time he spots her, his lips curl up into that kind smile, and the excited butterflies roam in her stomach as she smiles back.

And every time, she reminds herself of the blonde girl’s words about Troy’s reputation, and reminds herself not to get attached.

However, as it turns out, she’s like a moth to a flame when it comes to him; when she comes home after school, having survived another day, the house suddenly feels empty.

She and Maria have managed to finish most of the unpacking, but there’s still little life to their house, no splash of colour or sign that this is someone’s home.

And Gabriella knows exactly what would help. Flowers.

Deep down, she knows she’s just trying to find an excuse to see Troy again, to try to gain more insight into who he is and whether the blonde girl is right about him or not, and maybe to be subjected to that smile again. However, for now, she is determined to get more flowers, more life into her new home.

Hence, she finds herself in front of _Lucille’s Flowers_ again thirty minutes later. She’s slightly disappointed to find someone else behind the counter, a middle-aged woman with a warm smile that immediately makes her feel at ease and moreover oddly instils a sense of familiarity.

“Can I help you?” the woman asks, the same friendly tone in her voice that Troy had when he asked that same question yesterday, and Gabriella smiles at her politely.

“No, thank you. I just want to look around for a bit, is that okay?”

The woman keeps grinning as she nods. “Of course, honey. Just give me a shout if you need any help.”

Gabriella spend the next ten minutes browsing the shop and collecting several items – a bouquet of tulips, a colourful vase, a kalanchoe – before heading back to the counter.

“These please,” she says, before reading the woman’s name tag and immediately lighting up as any residual disappointment of not seeing Troy fades away in an instant. “You’re Lucille!”

Lucille beams at her. “Yes, I most definitely am.”

“Your shop is so nice!” Gabriella gushes as Lucille starts tallying the items, and Lucille laughs bashfully in response.

“Why thank you,” she says sincerely, before looking up at Gabriella and winking. “But you’re not getting a discount for complimenting me.”

Gabriella immediately feels her cheeks heat up in embarrassment. “Oh, no, that’s not what I was trying to do at all!”

“I know, honey, I was just teasing you,” Lucille says with a laugh, and there’s something twinkling in her eyes, something achingly familiar and pleasant.

Gabriella can’t put her finger on what it is, but she feels like she knows this woman, and she’s starting to feel like she was meant to walk into this shop in her flight of determination yesterday. Maybe it’s Troy, maybe it’s Lucille, maybe it’s something else entirely, but there’s something there and she can’t help but feel the curiosity bubbling within her.

As Gabriella pays for her items, Lucille sighs in contentment, letting her gaze roam around her store. “I am very happy that you like my shop. It’s always been a dream of mine to own a small business like this one. My son likes to help out when he doesn’t have basketball practice too, so it’s become a bit of a family business.”

Gabriella’s eyes widen slightly as she puts her debit card back in her wallet. Suddenly, it makes sense why Lucille seems so familiar. She’s Troy’s mother.

In the back of her mind, she hears the blonde girl’s words about Troy’s reputation echoing again, and confusion overcomes her. The more she finds out about Troy, the less she understands why he’d be someone who cares about social status that much.

He just seems too nice to be that way.

Realizing she’s been quiet and in deep thought for a moment, she quickly blinks and smiles as she thanks Lucille for her purchases and makes her way back to the door, Lucille bidding goodbye after her.

When she’s out the door, she suddenly notices something she hadn’t yesterday. There’s a sign stuck to the door.

_WE’RE HIRING!_

Biting her lip thoughtfully, she wonders for a moment what it would be like to work here, how nice it might be, but then she quickly shakes her head to rid herself of these fantasies.

She likes this shop, she really does, but there are more important matters at hand. She needs to catch up on the curriculum, get used to this new home, and she knows that always takes time. Applying for a job would be biting off more than she can chew. It would be an epically bad idea.

Yet, when she’s in bed at night, she can’t put the thought of her head, she can’t stop imagining herself at the counter, next to Troy or Lucille, and she can’t stop the rush of excitement it brings on.

This is a ridiculous idea, she thinks as she closes her eyes.

But she can’t deny that she likes it.

\--

Days pass, but Gabriella doesn’t return to the shop. Catching up on the schoolwork gets the best of her, and effectively pushes any thoughts of applying for the job to the back of her mind.

Troy, however, does not leave her mind. How could he, when he’s everywhere, and always seems to be looking at her? She can feel his eyes on her constantly, even across crowded hallways, but he doesn’t come up to speak to her. Every time she catches his gaze, when he’s turned around in class or with his friends in the hallways, he immediately averts his eyes and he flushes as he rubs his neck in what seems to be a nervous manner.

Gabriella doesn’t go up to him either, as he’s always surrounded by hordes of people – he is popular for sure –, but she does try to smile at him whenever they lock eyes.

So, that’s how the days pass, with stolen glances and secret smiles, both of them waiting and neither bold enough to make the first move.

\--

When Gabriella’s second week at East High is over, she decides she needs to explore the city more. So far, she’s only been at her home, her school and the flower shop. Albuquerque is not a small town, so there must be more to do out there.

Therefore, on Saturday morning, she takes her bike, tells her mother she’s going to explore the city, and takes off.

She rides around for a while, enters a few shops in the city centre, before ending where her heart intended her to go in the first place. The flower shop.

When she enters the shop, people are in line at the counter, both Lucille and Troy appearing weary as they serve the customers. Both times when Gabriella dropped by last week, she was the only customer in the shop, so she’s surprised to see how much business seems to take off during the weekend. That must be why they’re hiring, she supposes.

Despite their apparent stress, both Troy and Lucille look up at the exact moment she enters through the door and the bell rings and both of their faces light up in the exact same way. This makes Gabriella giggle and she waves at them, before averting her attention to the flowers and plants.

Deciding to pick up an anthurium – it would do nice to liven up her own bedroom –, she makes her way to the line and waits patiently until it’s her turn. When the time comes, it’s suddenly quiet again, only her and one other customer, who is being served by Troy, left.

Gabriella offers the plant to Lucille and says, “Well, I guess it makes sense now that you’re hiring. Does everyone suddenly need plants here on the weekends or something?”

From the corner of her eye, Gabriella can see Troy perk up slightly at her voice, but other than that, he gives her no acknowledgement, the kind smile remaining on his face as he bids the other costumer goodbye.

Lucille sighs. “I honestly don’t know what’s gotten into people today. It’s usually not this crowded, except for Valentine’s Day. We actually need the help because Troy here is very busy with his basketball season and I need someone to fill in for him when my husband takes up his attention again.”

“Mama…” Troy drawls warningly, and Gabriella lets out a giggle at the irritation in his voice. At this, he finally meets her gaze and his smile widens slightly, his cheeks reddening with what Gabriella can only assume is embarrassment.

“Oh, have you met Troy yet?” Lucille asks, before laying a hand on her son’s shoulder. “This is my son Troy I’ve told you about. Troy, this is…”

“Gabriella,” Troy supplies a little too quickly, shrugging as his mother raises an eyebrow. “She’s a transfer student at East High and we share a few classes.”

“Oh, I see,” Lucille says, and when she looks back at Gabriella, there’s a mischievous twinkle in her eye. “Troy is not as cool as he seems at school. He’s actually just a big softie.”

“Mom!” Troy exclaims at the same time that Gabriella lets out another laugh, feeling brave as she grins at Troy.

“I figured,” she says, and watches as Troy becomes even more flustered, if that were even possible, spluttering before letting out a frustrated groan.

Laughing, Lucille shakes her head as she turns back to Gabriella. “That’ll be fifteen dollars. So, you’ve seen the sign that we’re hiring, huh?”

Gabriella just shrugs, before offering Lucille the money, and something fond comes over Lucille’s features as she says, “You’d make a great addition to our little team.”

Gabriella’s eyes immediately meet Troy’s as Lucille’s suggestive words hang in the air, and she feels her stomach drop as she sees how panic-stricken he suddenly looks. Why would the idea of them working together cause such distress?

However, his panic quickly disappears from his face as his cheeks turn pink again and he rubs his neck as he sends her an apologetic smile. She just smiles in return, before turning back to Lucille, who has been watching them with hawk eyes.

“Don’t push her, mom,” Troy says, and Lucille just rolls her eyes and waves at him dismissively.

“Just to be clear,” Gabriella asks slowly. “Are you implying that you would offer me the job? Without an interview?”

“Right on the spot. I know, I know, I’m too trusting,” Lucille agrees with a nod, before placing her hands on the counter as she leans slightly forward with a questioning look. “So, what will it be?”

Blinking, Gabriella takes a second to go through her arguments again. She still needs to get settled, school is busy, she doesn’t know how her mom would respond, she isn’t well-versed in the art of flowers…

But then she looks over at Troy, who is now also smiling encouragingly, albeit a little bashfully, and she takes a deep breath.

“I’m in.”

\--

All Gabriella’s arguments against taking on the job in the flower shop seem to diminish once she starts working there. Yes, she’s still getting used to the new city and the new school and yes, her schoolwork still takes up a lot of time, but she doesn’t need to be there every free second and as it turns out, she’s great at managing multiple things at once.

Her mother is surprisingly ecstatic when Gabriella tells her about the job. In fact, Gabriella can almost see the happy tears burning in her mother’s eyes as she explains how happy she is that Gabriella is finally actually settling somewhere. Gabriella still isn’t sure whether she wants to settle and call this an actual home, still too jilted by all the other times they had to up and leave, but she won’t tell her mother that.

As for the job itself, Troy is a very patient teacher when showing her the ropes, and it turns out it’s not that difficult anyway. She’s always been a quick learner, especially when she’s interested in a subject, although she’s still not sure whether her interest is with the business or with her new co-worker, whose reputation as an elitist popular kid she still can’t match with his kind and inviting behaviour towards her.

Troy appears equally interested in her as she is in him, always firing random questions at her about mundane things like her favourite animal, but for the first few days, there’s still awkwardness surrounding them, and they don’t get much further past the small takes and shared glances and smiles.

She’s still grateful for Troy’s attempts, though, because she really does start to feel more at ease with him with every question and comment he fires at her.

“So, if you were any type of crayon, what colour would you be?” he asks her on their third shift together, and Gabriella raises an incredulous eyebrow as she snorts in response to his question. She immediately feels her cheeks grow hot at the not so charming sound she made, but Troy doesn’t seem to notice or care, just continuing to smile at her like he always does.

“What kind of question is that?” she asks as she crosses her arms over her chest, watching as Troy just shrugs casually.

“I thought I’d switch it up a little,” he says, before picking up a yellow tulip and handing it over to Gabriella. “Besides, colours have meanings. Yellow, for example, means friendship.”

Gabriella immediately feels a warmth spread through her at his veiled confession that he now considers her a friend, and happily takes the flower from him.

Pursing her lips for a second as she thinks about his ridiculous question, she settles on, “Red. Don’t ask me why.”

“Hmm, good choice. Lots of East High school spirit. You’re becoming a true Wildcat,” he says teasingly and Gabriella just shoots him a pointed look before turning back to the bouquet she was trying to arrange.

They stay comfortably quiet for a few minutes until Troy suddenly pipes up, “I just realized I never asked you where you’re from.”

“San Diego. But I’ve moved around a lot the last couple of years because of my mom’s job.”

“And your dad?” Troy asks, and Gabriella bites her lip as she stares down at the flowers intently, not wanting to meet his eyes.

“He passed away.”

Looking up at Troy now, she can see the pity in his eyes, an emotion she’s become all too familiar with over the years and one that never makes her feel comfortable. However, she can’t help but feel a little more at ease when a calloused hand suddenly lands on her shoulder and squeezes, as he sincerely says, “I’m sorry.”

“Orchids were his favourite,” she says, smiling a little as she averts her gaze and stares at the counter. “That’s why I wanted to buy one that first time I went into the store. It always feels a bit like he’s there when there’s an orchid in the house.”

Looking back up, there’s a wistful smile on Troy’s face as he says, “I’m glad we could make you feel a little at home.”

Gabriella returns the smile as she shyly admits, “You’ve made me feel more than a little at home.”

Troy’s brilliant grin in response to his almost blinds her, and she blushes as the butterflies swarm her stomach at the sight of the joyous twinkle in his eyes.

Deciding not to dwell on these unfamiliar feelings he evokes in her, she quickly says, “You know, you’ve been asking all the questions so far. So tell me a bit about you. Which crayon would you be?”

“Well, I was born and bred in Albuquerque, my dad’s the basketball coach at East High, and my mom owns this shop. My favourite colour is blue and I think that would be my colour if I were a crayon.”

“Not red for the East High basketball star?” Gabriella teases, but she immediately feels concern wash over her as he blinks and stops working on his bouquet, staring off into space thoughtfully.

“Some of the meanings of blue are hope and inspiration. I like that,” he admits, before looking back at Gabriella, his eyes darkening a little as he narrows his eyes at her slightly. “You know I’ve never told anyone this before, but I like to sing.”

Gabriella raises her eyebrows and smiles encouragingly as she notices the anxiety written all over his face. “Really?”

He nods. “One time I was forced to do karaoke during a ski trip, completely on my own. It was frightening, but it was also kind of freeing. I would never actually do anything with it, but it’s something I enjoy doing to myself.”

“But if you enjoy it, why wouldn’t you do anything with it?” Gabriella asks sincerely, and Troy’s face immediately falls in a deep frown. Gabriella decides she really doesn’t like the sight of it and vows to herself to do anything to avoid seeing him sad again in the future.

“I’m the basketball guy, that’s why. Everyone around me sees me as the guy who leads the team to victory. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I don’t know if my friends would accept me if I were to sing on the side.”

Suddenly, Troy’s reputation makes sense to Gabriella. It’s not that he wants to be popular or that he doesn’t care about anyone who isn’t in his immediate social circle, it’s that he’s afraid to disappoint the people he cares about by doing something unexpected. That’s no way to live, and it makes her feel sad for him.

“If they don’t accept that side of you, they’re not very good friends,” she states firmly and Troy sighs as he returns to his flowers.

“I know. I think a lot of it is just me getting into my own head, but I can’t help it,” he says a bit dejectedly, before looking back up at her and blushing slightly as he continues, “You’re definitely a good friend, though. Thanks for listening.”

Gabriella pushes a stray curl behind her ears and shrugs as she offers him a small smile. “Thanks for trusting me, even though you barely know me. For all you know, I could tell the whole school.”

Letting the flowers sit again, he puts his hand on the counter as his whole body turns towards her, hers mirroring his movement instinctively.

Smirking at her, he shakes his head. “Nah, you won’t. And I do know you. I know that you’d be a red crayon and that’s enough for me.”

Gabriella giggles and rolls her eyes, before quickly quieting down as she sees how intense his gaze has suddenly become. Inwardly, she’s trying to stop her heart from beating out of her chest, while outwardly, she softly says, “Your secret’s safe with me. And for what it’s worth, you’re still a cool guy to me, even if you sing in the shower.”

Troy chuckles, and they share a smile.

“Good.”

\--

Gabriella doesn’t think she’s ever laughed as hard in her life as she does when she’s around Troy Bolton. She’s well aware that it’s rather pathetic of her to be so affected by a boy, but it’s a nice feeling to be so at ease around someone. Especially after their little heart-to-heart where he confessed his pressure, it’s like they’ve been attached at the hip. Despite them being out of each other’s regular social orbit, he makes an effort to come see her at her locker whenever he can, they text constantly, and his incessant and random questions have been increasing, if that were even possible.

Hence, she thinks it odd that Lucille seems to be surprised at them laughing together at one of Troy’s wild party stories – something about pink jelly – when she brings them coffee during a Saturday morning shift.

“I see you two have been getting on well,” Lucille says rather suggestively as she hands Gabriella her cup, her eyes flicking between the two teenagers curiously, and Troy immediately rubs his neck and blushes.

“Mom, don’t do this, it’s embarrassing,” he pleads, and Lucille just shrugs and hands him his coffee, before squishing his cheek.

“I’m your mother. It’s my job to embarrass you.”

Gabriella watching on curiously and a little confused as mother and son stare at each other for a moment, silently communicating in a way that only a parent and child could. Troy is the one to break the silent conversation first, huffing indignantly as he takes a long sip of his tea.

Lucille laughs and pats him on the shoulder, before walking behind the counter. “Need any help here?”

Gabriella just smiles and shakes her head. In the back of her mind, she tells herself to ask Troy about whatever just happened later.

When she does ask, she barely notices the pink appearing on his cheeks again, but it’s definitely there. He tells her that it’s not important, and although she doesn’t quite believe him, she decides to let it slide.

It’s not her business, she supposes, although she does start noticing that after this encounter, Lucille keeps giving meaningful looks to both her and Troy.

She thinks she knows what it means, but in true Gabriella fashion, she pushes the possibility away. It’s better not to get her hopes up.

It’s better if she doesn’t let him break her heart.

\--

A few days later, Gabriella finds a note from Troy in her locker, listing directions to an apparent secret location and instructions to come find him at lunch and to come discretely. It definitely awakens her curiosity, so before she knows it, she finds herself running up the stairs to the roof, which is filled with flowers and offers an incredible view of the surrounding mountains.

“Wow,” she breathes as she stands on top and looks around, Troy watching her every move from a few feet away with a fond smile on his face.

“Amazing, huh?” he says with a slight laugh and Gabriella tears away her eyes from the view to lock eyes with him, her own grin forming.

“Incredible,” she agrees, before walking over to a potted plant off to the side and fingering the leaves. “So, I guess this is where you cultivate your obsession with flowers?”

Troy chuckles and shakes his head as he leans a bit in her direction, his voice low as he says, “Don’t tell my mom, but I actually prefer trees.”

Gabriella raises her eyebrows in amusement, turning to face him again as she crosses her arms over her chest. “Really?”

He shrugs and nods. “I like having a clear view. In more ways than one.”

“Well, I have a tree in my backyard that you’re welcome to climb whenever you want,” she says, feeling her cheeks grow a little hot as the words tumble from her mouth and she remembers that said tree would offer him access to her balcony and thus her room.

Troy narrows his eyes at her thoughtfully for a second, probably noticing her blush, before smirking mischievously. “Alright, I’ll take you up on that.”

Gabriella laughs nervously, before pushing a stray curl behind her ear. Then, she gestures around as she remarks, “You definitely have a clear view here.”

“I do,” he says wistfully, smiling as he lets his gaze stray to the mountains. “I always come here when I need to have some time to myself. Only the garden club and I know this place exists.”

He glances over to Gabriella, who raises her eyebrows inquisitively, and laughs, before turning his gaze back to the view. “Some of the members of the garden club come by the shop sometimes and when I asked them where they keep their flowers, they showed me this place. I have been coming here ever since.”

Gabriella smiles, before biting a lip as a thought enters her head. As they walk towards the bench that’s in the middle of the rooftop, she fiddled with her hands as she sits down. “I hope I’m not imposing on your alone time.”

“I invited you up here,” Troy reminds her, before gesturing around. “I thought you’d appreciate the flowers as much as I do. Probably even more.”

With a shy nod, Gabriella agrees, “I do.”

A comfortable silence settles on them for a moment and from the corner of her eyes, Gabriella examines his form. He’s a little hunched over and his face is pulled into a slight frown. Slightly concerned, she asks him, “Is there any particular reason why you felt the need to come up here?”

Troy purses his lips for a second, staring ahead, before shaking his head as he glances at her quickly. “I just wanted to spend some time with you, honestly.”

Both pairs of cheeks immediately grow hot at his confession and Gabriella musters all her courage to keep her breathing regulated as her heart picks up its speed. With a nervous laugh, she reminds him, “You see me all the time.”

“Yeah, but I enjoy spending alone time with you, and we never really get that at school,” Troy says, shifting slightly as he rubs his neck. “Do I sound like a weirdo? I feel like I do.”

Gabriella bites her lip and shrugs as she says, “Not at all. And for what it’s worth, the feeling’s mutual.”

They stay silent for a moment, letting each other’s words and feelings sink in – although this conversation is not quite different from the one where they solidified their friendship not too long ago, something about it feels heavier, more serious. Gabriella doesn’t want to dwell on the implications of the tension between them, but she definitely wants to keep sitting here, letting herself drown in his gorgeous eyes.

Suddenly, Troy winks at her as his face morphs into that radiant grin again. “I’m glad, because you’re not getting rid of me that easily.”

“I am somehow now really regretting inviting you to climb up my tree,” she retorts without even thinking about it, and for a moment, she wonders if this is the wrong thing to say.

Troy, however, doesn’t seem offended, his smile not wavering as he teasingly says, “Don’t worry, I won’t come bother you in the middle of the night.”

“Good to know,” she laughs, before sighing as she relaxes and leans back, angling her head so that she can enjoy the view once more. “It really is beautiful here.”

Beside her, Troy lets out a long breath. “It really is.”

As she looks back to him, she sees that he’s staring at her rather than at the view, and she quickly averts her gaze again with a small smile and a faint blush.

They stay like that for a while, silently sitting on the bench together while they look at the mountains and listen to each other’s breathing, before the bell rings and disrupts their serene solitude.

With a sigh, Troy grabs Gabriella’s hand and quickly leads her downstairs as they run off to their next class. It’s not until they’re at the doorway to their shared geography class that Gabriella even notices how well their hands fit together and how soft and warm his touch is. Suddenly, there’s sparks running up and down her arms as they both simultaneously look at their hands and quickly drop them.

“Thanks for showing me your secret spot,” she chokes out as she tries to still the beating of her heart and the butterflies in her stomach.

Troy rubs his neck and coughs, but the smile is still ever-present on his face as he states softly, “It’s your spot now as much as it is mine.”

With that final statement, he walks into the room and greets his friends, while Gabriella stays rooted to her spot in the door opening for a second, revelling in the warmth that spreads through her body at the notion that he trusts her enough to share this spot with her.

As she looks into the room, she finds him grinning at her, and he shyly winks at her as her own lips curl up too.

Finding her spot in the room, she can’t help but wonder.

Is this what it feels like to have a true friend? Or is it something else?

\--

Gabriella gets an answer to this question not too long after.

Throughout the following days, Gabriella can’t help herself – she keeps a close eye on him, on his behaviour around her and around others. Part of her is convinced that he doesn’t see her as anything more than a friend – he’s a very charismatic person, so it’s natural that he comes across as charming and even borderline flirtatious to pretty much anyone. She observes that he teases his friends the same way he teases her, and that he smiles at pretty cheerleaders just as much as he smiles at her. There’s really nothing out of the ordinary.

However, there’s still moments that plant seeds of doubt as to his intentions in her mind. There’s the time that he commented that one of the flowers he was putting in bouquet matched her shirt and then he put the flower in her hair. There’s that time when their hands brushed while he helped they reached for the same flower and he seemed flabbergasted. There’s the fact that she always feels his gaze on her in class, and the way he winks at her whenever their eyes meet across a crowded hallway.

The idea of him having feelings for her is one that sets her heart aflutter, but the idea of actually being with him also fills with tremendous anxiety. What if she has to leave again? Could she leave him behind if she gets in too deep?

It’s a rainy Saturday morning and the store is rather quiet when she finally gets a grip on how he feels, and it all starts with a bouquet of flowers, as it usually does.

“Something about this bouquet is not right,” Gabriella remarks as she holds her chin thoughtfully, clicking her tongue as she looks at the creation she’s made. It’s beautiful, with orange and red hues, but something about it feels off, like it’s incomplete.

She turns to Troy and gestures to the bouquet with slight frustration. “Do you have any suggestions?”

Troy hums and tilts his head to the side as he narrows his eyes at the bouquet thoughtfully. Then, a slow smile spreads on his face.

“Let me try something,” he says, and she watches him go as he hurries to the back of the store. She hears him shuffle around as she turns back to watch the bouquet and sighs in desolation.

Within a minute, Troy returns, hovering behind her as she keeps her eyes trained on her failure. Suddenly, a hand appears before her, holding various purple flowers.

“Orange and red are quite close, so maybe it needs a splash of another colour,” Troy says proudly, and Gabriella’s face blossoms into a grin and she nods excitedly.

That’s exactly it.

Troy keeps standing behind her as he works on rearranging the bouquet and adds the new flowers, and despite the distance being more than adequate, she still feels the hair on the back of her neck rise as she feels his breath close to her ear.

She chooses not to dwell on that, though, just watching as he performs his work, grinning with delight when he finishes and she sees the final product.

“It’s perfect!” she exclaims, and without thinking twice, she turns around and flies into his arms to hug him.

He seems a bit startled, huffing as she collides with his chest, but he returns her hug just as passionately as she thrust it upon him.

Both of them are laughing as he squeezes her tightly against him, but the laughter quickly ceases as Gabriella pulls back slightly and they both suddenly realize how close they are.

It’s _very_ close.

She can count his eyelashes and the freckles on his cheeks and she can see the specks of green hidden deep in his blue eyes, but her attention is not on any of that. It’s on his mouth, that mouth that creates that wonderful smile, which is now far from present. Instead, his lips are slightly opened in shock and she can feel his erratic breath on her face.

Unable to resist the magnetic pull between them, they both start leaning in, slowly but surely. Gabriella sighs – maybe even swoons – and her eyes flutter closed as she can practically already taste his lips on hers as they’re so close.

But just before their mouths can meet, the bell suddenly rings and with a gasp, they both spring apart to find a tall guy, soaked from the rain, look at them with bewildered eyes.

“Troy!” he exclaims. “I need your help.”

Blinking, Gabriella quickly returns to her bouquet and tries to regulate her breathing as Troy starts talking to the guy. As it turns out, he’s one of Troy’s basketball friends and he needs help with wooing Sharpay, the scary blonde girl that Gabriella met before. It is an action that Troy steadfastly advises against.

However, Gabriella can’t concentrate on anything that’s happening around her except the burning of Troy’s gaze into her every time he glances at her from the corner of his eye.

Suddenly, she feels lightheaded as the truth settles in. Of course Troy’s not a friend. He’s never been. He’s much more than that.

And that thought frightens her. She can’t open up her heart and get herself hurt. She can’t develop feelings for him or, even worse, fall in love.

She just can’t. Therefore, she makes a vow to herself.

From now on, she and Troy are just co-workers and classmates. As much as it pains her, it’s the only possible option. It’s the only way to protect her heart before it’s too late.

She ignores the nagging voice in her head that tells her it is already too late, that this crush or whatever she’s feeling is already too deep.

But, she tells herself, she’s not in love. And she won’t be. She won’t give away her heart to Troy Bolton.

\--

Troy acts as if nothing has happened. Sure, he seems a little nervous when he approaches her at school the next Monday, but other than that, he’s still his chipper self when he puts his hand on the locker beside hers and cheerfully greets her.

Gabriella, however, doesn’t know how to act. She knows that she’s going to get hurt whatever she does, whether she ignores her feelings or gives into them, and therefore, she doesn’t know how to be around him. Hence, she just sends him a small smile as she continues to rummage in her locker.

Troy either doesn’t seem to notice that she’s off or he’s just ignoring it – his voice betrays little anxiety as he asks her, “Do you want to go up to the rooftop later?”

This makes Gabriella stop what she’s doing and turn to him almost mechanically, narrowing her eyes at him thoughtfully as she takes in his meek yet inviting grin.

For a second, she considers her options. Either she goes up there with him and let herself fall deeper into this hole she’s dug for herself, or she turns him down and hurts his feelings.

It’s an impossible choice to make, but she knows what she has to do in order to guard her heart. Hence, she gulps before biting her lip as she shakes her head. “I think it’s best if I don’t.”

She feels a rush of guilt as Troy’s face immediately falls and his eyebrows knit together as he frowns. “Gabriella, is this about–”

She cuts him off with an apologetic smile and another shake of her head. “I just don’t feel like it right now. Rain check?”

Troy stares at her for a second, obviously calling her bluff and aware that it isn’t a rain check and that her rejection is because she is affected by their almost kiss.

However, after a moment, he gulps and then smiles, nodding as he repeats, “Rain check.”

Gabriella nods too, before shutting her locker. “See you later.”

And with that, she walks off in the opposite direction, leaving him behind in what is surely a very confused and anguished state.

The guilt gnaws at her, but as she takes a deep breath, she knows she did the right thing. Sure, he might be hurt right now, but it’s better in the long run.

It’s for the best to cut this off.

\--

Things change from here on out. Their blossoming friendship and perhaps even romance is put on hold and although part of Gabriella expects and even wants Troy to fight for her, he doesn’t.

Instead, they’re back to how they were in the beginning, perhaps even worse. He doesn’t wait for her at her locker, he only smiles at her meekly when she walks into a classroom and they barely talk while at work, finding solace in the flowers instead of in each other.

With every day, the lump that’s been lodged in her throat since she turned him down grows, and simultaneously, the possibility of a way out, a way back to being how they were before becomes less likely.

She doesn’t like it, and she knows Troy doesn’t either, because whenever they lock eyes, she can see a sadness in them that she desperately wants to erase.

She just doesn’t know how to do that without hurting herself.

And it seems like Troy and Gabriella aren’t the only ones who don’t seem to like the predicament they’ve found themselves in, because Gabriella regularly finds Lucille frowning as she watches them both sulk around the shop. It only makes the unpleasant feeling eat away at Gabriella even more to see how concerned is for her son.

Gabriella’s on a shift alone with Lucille when she finds out Lucille isn’t only concerned for Troy, though.

Lucille’s rearranging some of the plants in the back of the store, tapping her chin thoughtfully as she looks at them, when she casually asks Gabriella, “Are you okay, honey?”

Gabriella blinks, before frowning. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

Lucille grabs a potted plant from the back and moves it to the front, letting out a sound of approval as she inspects it. Then, she walks over to the counter, where Gabriella is standing, and offers her a sad smile. “You and Troy seemed like you were friends before, but you’ve been avoiding him lately. I was just wondering if there was something up with you.”

As Gabriella stays quiet, she leans forward and gently says, “You can tell me anything, sweetie.”

Gabriella feels the guilt hit her like a ton of bricks. It’s not guilt over rejecting Troy, though, but rather over the fact that this kind woman seems so needlessly concerned for her.

Hence, she shakes her head and averts her gaze. “It’s nothing.”

“Are you sure?”

Gabriella can hear in Lucille’s voice that she doesn’t believe her, and when she looks back up at Lucille again, there’s a determined yet worried look in Lucille’s bright eyes as she stares at Gabriella with a pensive intensity.

For a brief moment, she wonders if she should tell Lucille the truth, but then quickly realizes that’s insane. Her problems are related to a boy who so happens to be this woman’s son. She can’t tell her that she has a crush on Troy and that this scares her. That would be way too embarrassing.

Yet, as Lucille’s lip curl up again encouragingly, Gabriella can’t help herself. She spills.

“I think I might like your son and since I’m used to moving around, it scares me and I think we would hurt each other if we got together, so I’ve decided to cut off our friendship and now things are really awkward,” she says in one breath. Then, she takes a deep breath as she looks down at the counter, afraid and too embarrassed to meet Lucille’s eyes.

However, when she hears a chuckle, she looks up curiously, watching as Lucille smiles pleasantly, with a hint of self-satisfaction.

“I think you’re making things too complicated for yourself,” Lucille says as she crosses her arms. “I know, for a fact that my son is crazy about you and that you both would find a way to make it work if you really wanted to.”

Gabriella blinks. Unable to help herself, she asks, casually but curiously, “Have you spoken to him about… us?”

Lucille shakes her head, a mischievous gleam in her eyes. “No, but I’ve seen the way he looks at you. And I’ve heard the way he sings love songs in the shower.”

Gabriella flushes at that last cheeky comment and Lucille laughs heartily, before turning serious again. “I really do think you two could make it work.”

Gabriella bites her lip, her voice slightly trembling as she asks, “How?”

“Love finds a way,” Lucille simply says, her lips curving slightly. “And besides, you’re not leaving Albuquerque right now are you?”

Gabriella shakes her head and Lucille shrugs. “Then why not live in the moment?”

Gabriella bites her lip as she contemplates Lucille’s suggestion. She knows all the reasons why she doesn’t live in the moment – never taking root somewhere doing your formative years does that to a person –, but as she closes her eyes and sees Troy’s smiling face in her imagination, she feels frustration bubble up. Why can’t she just be the person who doesn’t overthink and worry too much? Why can’t she just give him, them, a shot?

“I’m not a live in the moment type of person,” she answers Lucille’s question, and Lucille grimaces, but nods in understanding nevertheless.

“I understand, but if you do change your mind, just know that my son is very fond of you and he wouldn’t hurt you. At least, I think he won’t. If he does, please tell me and I’ll ground him until he’s 40.”

This last comment makes Gabriella snort and both women start laughing, before Gabriella says, “I’ll keep that in mind.”

The laughter dies down until Lucille only has that warm, fond look in her eyes and curve of her lips remaining, and she softly says, “Please do.”

Gabriella musters a small smile as she nods.

She’s not quite there yet – and even if she is, she’s not entirely sure if Troy would still be open to the idea –, but after this talk with Lucille, some of the doubts are quickly being overshadowed by a desire to throw caution to the wind and give him a shot.

Now she only needs to muster up the courage and keep those fears at bay. And she knows that’s going to be difficult, but deep down, she knows that she is willing to try.

\--

Mustering up the courage to give him a shot seems to be a lot harder than it is, and it doesn’t help that she doesn’t even get the chance to speak to him as Valentine’s Day is approaching and business is booming.

She’s not quite sure why flowers are already being bought a week in advance, but it is what it is and it does give her a chance to delay the conversation she fears of having.

However, during lunch break, while sitting in an awkward silence as they both eat their sandwiches, she can’t help but start a conversation.

“So, what are you doing for Valentine’s Day?”

From the corner of her eye, she can see Troy stop chewing on his food and blink in response to her question. After a contemplative silence, he says, “Not much. You?”

Gabriella shrugs awkwardly. “Not much either.”

Part of her wishes she had plans, though. With him. But she’s not going to tell him that.

As she looks up into his eyes, she has to close her eyes for a second to wish away the memories of those eyes boring into hers while they were about to kiss away. Then, she offers him a small smile. “I’m surprised you don’t have plans, though, Mr. Hottie Super Bomb.”

Troy raises an eyebrow in horror. “Hottie Super Bomb?”

With a snort, Gabriella nods as she bites off a piece of her sandwich. “I overheard the cheerleaders call you that. They were also talking about how lucky the person who got to be your Valentine would be. You’re quite popular with the ladies, it seems.”

Troy hums in response, his hand flying up to his neck as he reddens slightly. “Oh, I see.”

She watches him thoughtfully, pursing her lips as he averts his gaze awkwardly, looking anywhere but at her. He’s obviously uncomfortable with the girls being all over him, but she can’t figure out _why_. Many boys his age would be jumping for this type of attention.

Then it dawns on her. He hates the attention because it’s not about him. It’s about his status and his looks. None of them are interested in Troy Bolton the person, they are only interested in Troy Bolton the basketball boy.

She desperately wants to reach out, grab his hand, and assure him that he’s more than just a pretty face and a popular jock. He’s dorky and funny and attentive and incredibly kind and with every sweet gesture he awards her, her crush on him grows. And if people don’t want to see how wonderful he is beyond the Hottie Super Bomb exterior and if they don’t want to fall for him the way she is currently doing, that’s on them.

Of course, telling him that right now would cause even more awkwardness and embarrassment between them, so instead of spilling out her heart to him, she just smiles and says, “They’re right, though. Any girl would be lucky to be your Valentine.”

For a second, he narrows his eyes at her as if trying to read her.

And then it appears. That famous smile that makes her heart soar. Still bashful, he peeks at her under his eyelashes as his face blossoms into a shy grin. He doesn’t say anything, but she can tell that he appreciates her words and that’s all that matters.

Still, as they stare at each other silently, she feels a wave of discomfort coming over her, the tension between them growing as the memories of turning him down circle her mind. In an effort to break the tension, she smiles cheekily and gestures around. “At least you wouldn’t have to think too much about what gift you would have to give a Valentine.”

Troy chuckles and shrugs, a lop-sided smile on his face as he cocks his head. “Do you have any suggestions for me?”

“But you have no actual Valentine, right?” Gabriella asks suspiciously.

“See this as a test,” he says and a tingle runs down her spine as his smile turns into a rather attractive smirk. “Imagine me being a hypothetical customer trying to find something for his hypothetical Valentine. What would you suggest?”

She knows what he’s doing. She isn’t the saleswoman in this scenario, she’s the hypothetical Valentine.

He’s trying to see what she likes. Even though she turned him down, he’s still interested, and he’s testing the waters again.

And this time, she won’t run away.

“Well, it depends on what your Valentine likes,” she answers truthfully, and Troy remains smirking as he leans back in his chair a bit, obviously aware that he’s caught on to his little game.

“What do _you_ like?”

Gabriella taps her chin thoughtfully. “Orchids, obviously. But I don’t know if that’s appropriate for Valentine’s Day, so I’ll go for roses. They’re simple but always classy.”

Troy nods, satisfied with her answer. “Good choice.”

She feels a warmth spread through her body as she imagines Troy giving her roses for Valentine’s Day, but suddenly, another thought springs up in her mind.

“Have you ever received flowers for Valentine’s Day?” she asks, and she watches as the smirk falls off Troy’s face.

He hums, before shaking his head. “You know what, I actually haven’t.”

“Missed opportunity,” Gabriella remarks, before smiling as she raises her eyebrows at him. “So, what would you like?”

“Are you planning on sending me flowers?”

And with this question, it’s suddenly become explicit, the game that they’ve been playing out in the open. However, while this should frighten Gabriella, it suddenly doesn’t anymore. As she stares into his eyes, she’s suddenly forgotten every single reason as to why she shouldn’t be involved with him.

So, she props up her head on her wrist mischievously as she says, “No. I was just curious.”

They both know the answer is actually yes.

However, Troy doesn’t call her out on it, instead just smirking as he leans back in his chair and puts his hands behind his head. Then, his smile falls and he stares at her intensely as he says, “I would like a flower that means something.”

“So the person who wants to woo you needs to do their research on flower meanings, is what you’re saying?”

There’s that smirk again. “Exactly.”

She bites her lip and narrows her eyes at him, catching on to the challenge he’s issued and the simultaneous hidden message in his words. He’s saying that he wants them to mean something, and he’s challenging her to put in the effort to show him that.

She’s willingly accepting the challenge. As much as doubts still swirl her mind, she also still hears Lucille’s voice in the back of her head, encouraging her to take a chance. She thinks she will.

“Good to know.”

\--

After their lunch conversation and the heightened flirting, it seems like Troy and Gabriella go back to before, when everything was fine; he visits her at her locker again, they share lunches on the rooftop as if nothing has happened, they constantly bicker and tease during work like before.

This time, Gabriella is not nervous about it all. She’s still not the type to live for the moment, the person who doesn’t overanalyse everything, but she’s willing to give it up for Troy.

That doesn’t mean that she’s not shaking with nerves as she comes into work on Valentine’s Day.

She has done her research, just as he suggested, and she’s put in the effort. She just hopes he likes and accepts her gift.

Fortunately – or maybe not –, the shop is crowded, which makes for an excellent distraction from her impending love confession, even though it also delays it. She would be lying, though, if she says she’s able to keep herself from sneaking glances at Troy all through her shift, and she’s not oblivious to his eyes being on her constantly as well.

Lucille doesn’t seem oblivious either, for she keeps giving both of them pointed looks when she thinks the other isn’t looking.

When the shop finally closes and the shift ends, all three of them can’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. Despite the welcome distraction it has offered, today was hectic, and in her exhaustion, Gabriella almost forgets that the best – or worst – part of the day is still to come.

She is definitely aware of what is about to happen when Lucille yawns and excuses herself to go clean up in the back. She doesn’t miss Lucille’s smirk and pat on Troy’s shoulder before she leaves them alone, and it makes Gabriella’s mouth go dry.

Now’s the moment.

Before she can go retrieve her bouquet and stammer through what is sure to be the most awkward speech she ever gives in her entire life, however, Troy speaks up quietly.

“Can I show you something?” he asks, and Gabriella raises her eyebrows, her heart beating loudly and rapidly in her chest with anticipation, before nodding.

She thinks she knows what he’s going to show her.

However, what she does not expect the details, and she can’t help but feel tears burn in her eyes as he leads her to the back of the store and pushes a bouquet of roses in her hands.

Lavender roses, to be exact.

She knows what those mean. But she won’t tell him that.

Instead, she just looks up at him, certain that the shape of her eyes have turned into hearts, as he chuckles nervously and stammers, “You said you like roses and the lavender ones mean enchantment. And you are quite enchanting. You’re really great. I enjoy your company. Yeah.”

Gabriella’s face blossoms into a wide grin as she steps closer to him. Crushing the flowers between them, she reaches up and places a soft kiss on his cheek. When she pulls back, he’s flushed bright red.

“Thank you. These are lovely,” she says softly, and she watches at Troy rubs his neck and averts his gaze.

They both know he has a question to ask her, the words probably on the tip of his tongue, but he stays quiet, fidgeting with anxiety.

Gabriella bites her lip to keep her smile from growing even further, and in an effort to alleviate some of his anxiety, she reaches for his hand and squeezes it comfortably. Although his blush deepens even further at the gesture, he does seem to be relieved, letting out a sigh. The question still doesn’t come, though.

“Close your eyes,” she says instead, and she nods in encouragement as Troy’s face contorts in confusion, before he does so.

As he does and she goes off to find her own bouquet for him, her heart picks up speed again in anticipation for what’s to come, but her fears and nerves are entangled with a slight hint of excitement.

As she stands before him again, the flowers in hand, she beckons for him to open his eyes again and watches as they widen, his mouth agape as he looks back and forth between her face and the flowers in her hand.

“Lavender roses,” he breathes, and Gabriella giggles as she nods.

“I guess great minds think alike,” she comments, before tucking a curl behind her ear bashfully. “I think you’re quite enchanting too.”

She takes a deep breath and looks at the ground for a moment, her own cheeks tinging pink now, before she softly adds, “The other meaning applies too.”

He blinks, before a ghost of a blissful smile appears on his face, and he reaches for the bouquet that Gabriella is still holding, picking out one of the roses and twirling it in front of his face as he studies it intently.

“It was love at first sight for me too.”

For a moment, they just stare at each other, each wearing their own goofy grins. Then, Troy takes a step closer to her and softly, hesitantly cradles her cheek in his hand, his gaze searching hers for acceptance or rejection.

And then, the word vomit starts.

“I’m sorry!” she squeaks, quickly averting her gaze after Troy blinks in confusion and drops his hand from her face. “I’m sorry for completely rejecting you after we almost kissed. Because I’ve never really been in one place before, I got scared, and I should have been more upfront to you about it, but I panicked, and I _hated_ it when we weren’t talking. I hated it so much. And then your mother told me that it was okay to live in the now and I’m not the type of person to live in the now, but I want to try for you. If you’ll have me, that is. Will you have me? Is that what this means? Because if I misread the situation–”

“Gabriella.”

All through her rambling, Gabriella hasn’t looked at one for even a millisecond, and she hasn’t noticed that Troy’s grin has only grown with every word she’s said.

“Yes?” she stammers, and Troy lets out a hearty chuckle as his hand resumes its position on her cheek.

She suppresses her swoon as she leans into his warm touch, while Troy leans closer, their lips only a couple of inches removed from one another, and he whispers to her, “Can I kiss you now?”

“Yes,” she breathes, and then his lips capture hers in what she’s sure is the most perfect first kiss there ever was.

His lips are soft and sweet, gently tasting her as she returns the kiss. Both his hand hold onto her face as they continue to embrace, while hers find the soft hairs at the back of his neck. She smiles into the kiss as he lets out a sound of longing at her soft caresses.

It feels like an eternity that they’re embracing, but it’s really only a minute tops. When they come up for air, Troy’s eyes remain closed and Gabriella watches as he takes a deep breath through his nose and then sighs in contentment.

Then, his eyes open, bright blue and filled with joy and affection. His hands leave her face and she immediately feels cold, craving for his touch again, but she finds the warmth again as he gently interlaces their fingers – a perfect fit. He lifts their intertwined hands to his mouth and softly brushes his lips across her knuckles.

“Will you be my Valentine?” he asks, and Gabriella can’t help but giggle, her heart nearly bursting beneath her ribcage with joy.

Cheekily, she asks, “Will you be _my_ Valentine?”

His lop-sided smile, ever so joyous and kind, graces his face, his eyes shining with mirth as he answers, “Of course.”

Quickly, he pecks her lips, and she sighs and keeps her eyes closed as he withdraws, the butterflies fluttering away in her stomach. As she opens them again, Troy is smirking at her, a mischievous look in his eyes. She sends him a questioning look and he laughs softly.

“So, you talked to my mother about me, huh?” he asks with amusement and Gabriella rolls her eyes half-heartedly, unable to fight the blush.

“She asked me if you and I were okay,” she says with a shrug, before letting her lip curve up for a second. “She told me you sing love songs in the shower.”

Now it’s Troy’s turn to blush from embarrassment, but he regains his composure rather quickly, leaning down to kiss her again in what she thinks is probably an effort to hide his awkwardness. Before their lips meet, he tells her, “Thank god my mother intervened.”

She smiles into the kiss. Absolutely. She owes Lucille Bolton a lot, she thinks as he deepens the kiss and they get lost in each other.

They jump apart quickly, however, when they hear a gasp, and they find none other than Lucille herself standing there, her mouth agape in shock.

She quickly recovers, however, and a brilliant grin threatens to burst her face as she leaps forward excitedly. “You’re together!”

Both teenagers’ eyes widen at this and they quickly share a panicked glance – they haven’t discussed anything beyond Valentine’s Day yet –, but when Troy squeezes her hand that is still in his, Gabriella can’t help but smile.

Fortunately, Lucille doesn’t inquire any further, just winking as she says, “I’ll leave you to it. But I will want details later. As much as a mother would like to know, at least.”

“Mama!” Troy whines as he throws his head back in annoyance, but Gabriella just giggles as Lucille sticks her tongue out at her son and turns around to leave them again.

However, after a moment of hesitation, she turns back. The smile now removed from her face, her expression is serious as she tells them, “I’m genuinely happy for you both. You deserve to be happy together.”

Gabriella feels a warmth spread through her body as she notices how Lucille is mainly looking at her as she says this, both of them knowing how much Gabriella struggles with finding happiness for herself.

But she’s found happiness, she thinks as Troy softly rubs his thumb across her hand.

“Thanks, mom,” he says softly, and with that, Lucille nods and leaves.

As soon as the coast is clear, Troy turns back to Gabriella and quirks an eyebrow. “Now, where were we?”

“Right here,” she whispers, as they lean again, but just before their mouths meet, she pushes herself off of him, grinning happily as she stares up into his eyes.

“I’m really glad I walked into the flower shop on my second day, and that I went for the job here,” she says, and she revels in that beautiful smile that appears on his face, the one that she’s falling in love with.

“I’m really glad too,” he says sincerely, and he seals that with a kiss.

And as their lips continue to meld together perfectly, Gabriella thinks she might start a new tradition. Exchange lavender roses with Troy every Valentine’s Day.

She can’t wait. Because as she kisses and embraces him, surrounded by flowers, she gets the feeling that this might last, that she might have found a home.


End file.
